Joel on Software -
“Evidence Based Scheduling” - Fortune

Joel on Software -
“Evidence Based Scheduling”

Software developers don’t really like to make schedules.
Usually, they try to get away without one. “It’ll be done when it’s
done!” they say, expecting that such a brave, funny zinger will
reduce their boss to a fit of giggles, and in the ensuing
joviality, the schedule will be forgotten.

Most of the schedules you do see are halfhearted attempts.
They’re stored on a file share somewhere and completely forgotten.
When these teams ship, two years late, that weird guy with the file
cabinet in his office brings the old printout to the post mortem,
and everyone has a good laugh. “Hey look! We allowed two weeks for
rewriting from scratch in Ruby!”